China, US to Hold Talks Against Maritime/Air Accidents: ReportChina and the United States will hold a special meeting on defense marine consultancy and negotiation this September in Guam to discuss any measures against sparking incurred by misunderstanding of the two countries' destroyers and fighters.This will be the first bilateral meeting of a similar kind between the two countries after a US surveillance plane bumping into a Chinese fighter on April 1, according to a news dispatch from Washington. According to Taiwan "Central News Agency", an official with US Defense Department has confirmed that the special meeting has been scheduled from September 13 to 14. The meeting aims to discuss safe navigation principles in their military activities on high seas and in international air and economic maritime space, as is reported. Observers hold that the meeting would provide the two sides an appropriate opportunity to discuss how to head off the reoccurrence of the similar accident. Former US Defense secretary Cohen signed the "Defense Marine Consultancy and Negotiation Contract" with his Chinese counterpart Chi Haotian during his visit to Beijing in 1998, in a move to establish a mechanism to avoid accidents probably incurred by fighters and destroyers of the two countries. A Petagon official said the meeting had been brooded just after the EP-3 incident but has nothing to do with the anti-proliferation discussion that had been held on August 23 in Beijing. By PD Online staff member Li Heng |
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